While the presentation is simple, there's plenty going on the background. "The driver isn't so focused on the light, thinking it's going to change immediately," Rick Whittemore, Connected Vehicle Portfolio Manager and Audi of America, explains. The automaker describes it as "informed waiting," and emphasizes the potential calming affect of better understanding how the road system is working. Since Audi isn't especially keen on giving wannabe-racing drivers a countdown to launching away from the lights in a cloud of tire smoke, the timer disappears when it gets down to four seconds. ![]() If you indicate in a turn-lane, the TLI system pulls the correct timing data for that turn, which might be different to the through traffic. That's because the car looks at your current speed and its knowledge of when the signal is due to turn red, and can figure out that, by the time you get there, you'll have to stop. Sometimes, even though the lights ahead are currently green, you still get a timer. A countdown tells you how long before the lights turn from red to green. As you approach the next intersection, a traffic light graphic pops up on the Virtual Cockpit, Audi's digital instrumentation. As long as that's the case, and you're in an area where TLI is supported, it's all deceptively straightforward on the dashboard. You'll need "connect prime" at least to get Traffic Light Information there's a six month subscription to all the plus-level features when you first buy a new Audi. Core safety tech is included as standard with the car, but Audi charges a subscription for the convenience features in its "connect prime" plan, and finally adds pay-as-you-go WiFi hotspot support in "connect plus". Since then, the 3G modem has given way to 4G LTE, and there are 43 different features taking advantage of that connection. TLI is the latest addition to Audi connect, the portfolio of connected car services that the automaker first rolled out in 2011. Yes, this is a lot of technology to power a simple countdown, but the broader potential of cars that intercommunicate with the cities and highways they utilize is considerable. ![]() That's only if you mistakenly see it as the conclusion of V2I, though, rather than simply the first step in it. The cynics among us could potentially dismiss Audi's Traffic Light Information system as unduly complex, then.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |